Eight Moments in Time
by beyond-the-twilight
Summary: The moments where Noah Puckerman saw Rachel Berry cry. AU after a certain point; mild cursing from Puck.


**A/N: This is a one-shot I've been working on for a while, and I just finished it. I thought I'd post it before I went to work. Reviews are love, and I'd really appreciate if you reviewed. **

**Yeah, I don't own Glee. If I did, I wouldn't be writing fan fiction. I'd be hanging out with Lea Michele and Mark Salling, and I'd be the happiest person in the world. **

**Also, I'm now on holiday, so I'm going to be attempting to write a one-shot every day (Monday-Friday) as well as updating my ongoing fics. Let's see how it goes!**

I:

The first time Noah Puckerman ever saw Rachel Berry cry was after she told Finn about the true paternity of Quinn's baby. She sat with her back against the lockers, her eyes staring blankly ahead, and all Puck wanted to do was scream at her for ruining everything.

"You have every right to hate me", she whispered softly. "I told Finn for purely selfish reasons, but I realize that was wrong. It wasn't my secret to tell, and I've ruined three lives because of my assumption that honesty is the best policy".

"I want to hate you", he admits, sliding down next to her, "but I can't. I should have told Finn as soon as I found out. Quinn's right... I'm just a Lima loser who knocked up my best mate's girlfriend".

"She called you a Lima loser?"

"She had every right to Berry. I knocked her up", he said harshly, his eyes narrowing just thinking about the incident.

"It took two to make the decision to sleep together Noah; it wasn't entirely your fault", Rachel reminded him.

For a couple of minutes, the pair sat in silence, Rachel stressing over her mistakes and Puck remembering the way Rachel had believed in him during their brief relationship.

"Look Noah... I understand why you want to blame yourself for this entire situation, but I believe that if you talk to Finn and explain what happened, right from the beginning, you may have a chance at salvaging your relationship. After all, you say that you two have been friends for years, so I'm sure he'll at least attempt to forgive you for your indiscretions... if you give him time", Rachel lectured, her hand firmly grasping his.

"Get off of me Berry", he hissed, shaking her hand away and quickly jumping up. "I don't need your sympathy. This whole mess is your fault, and I'm not going to fucking sit here and listen to you make yourself feel better".

As he walked away, anger filling his chest, he could still feel her hand firmly squeezing his. Her sniffles interrupted the ringing in his ears, and he turned back around just as the first tear rolled down her cheek.

"Stop. Fucking. Crying", he snapped, before stomping away again.

That was the first time Noah Puckerman saw Rachel Berry cry.

* * *

II:

"How could you Finn?" the brunette's voice travelled into the choir room as the Glee club pretended that they weren't eavesdropping on the conversation that was obviously supposed to be private.

Kurt and Mercedes were leaning so far forward that it was a miracle they didn't fall out of their chairs. Quinn was sitting with Brittany and Santana again, looking smug in her cheerleading uniform. Tina was sitting on Artie's lap; Artie was conveniently placed near the door. Mike and Matt were the only ones who weren't listening in on the conversation.

It had been three months since Regionals; three months since Quinn had given birth and then signed the adoption papers; three months since Finn had said "I love you" to Rachel.

It had been two months since Puck and Quinn broke up; two months since Rachel and Finn got together; two months since Quinn got back on the Cheerio's.

It had been a month since Puck and Rachel had last spoken; a month since Puck's last random hook-up and a month since Santana, Brittany and Quinn had started torturing Rachel again.

And now, judging by the intense conversation that Finn and Rachel were having just outside the choir room, it's been thirty seconds since Rachel and Finn broke up.

Surprisingly, Finn was the one to walk into the choir room and collapse, defeated, into one of the chairs. Even more surprisingly, Puck was the one to jump out of his chair and follow Rachel to the auditorium.

"I'm a good listener you know", he said softly as soon as Rachel had settled on the stage.

"The story will involve tears Noah; I suggest you reconsider your offer and leave", Rachel warned, her fingers absentmindedly tracing the hem of her skirt.

"Look, Berry. There's no one else that will listen to your story, so I suggest you stop jumping down my throat and get to the point"

"He never loved me. It was always Quinn. He told me he loved me at Regionals, but he was obviously lying. If he loved me, he wouldn't have slept with Quinn", the brunette whispered before dissolving into tears.

Puck didn't say anything, but walked towards Rachel and sat down beside her, throwing his arm tightly around her shoulders.

"Why couldn't he love me?" she whispered when her tears finally stopped.

"Because he's an idiot who doesn't realize that he just gave up the best thing that ever happened to him", Noah said softly, his arm tightening around her.

That was the second time that Noah Puckerman saw Rachel Berry cry.

* * *

III:

About two months after Rachel and Finn broke up; Rachel could honestly say that she and Noah were friends. That's why it hurt so much that on the same day that Quinn and Finn reunited, Noah walked up to her and threw a slushy in her face.

She didn't say anything to him, just stood there speechless, her mouth hanging open as the lime slushy created a stain on her white shirt.

When the slushy dripped into her underwear, and he was still standing there with his arm outstretched, she turned on her heel and ran straight out of the school and to the bleachers, only stopping when she reached the top row.

She stayed there for hours, ignoring the sirens that signalled the change of classes. The slushy eventually dried against her skin, but she still didn't move.

Eventually, the siren for the end of the day rung, and the school was a mass of sound as everyone rushed home. The bleachers weren't quiet for long; footsteps soon announced the arrival of someone else.

"God Berry, what are you still doing here?" Puck asked as he slid onto the bench next to her.

"I'm trying to understand why you would throw a slushy in my face, as I believed that we had become friends in the last two months", she said softly.

"You wouldn't understand", he replied, itching to throw his arm around her shoulders, but knew it wouldn't go down well, considering the green stain on her shirt.

"I have an above average intelligence Puck".

He's not going to pretend that that didn't hurt. At first, he hated the fact that Rachel called him Noah, but he had grown to understand that it was her way of telling him that she believed in him; that he was better than Puck.

"Look, I heard some girls talking about you on my way to the nurse's office", he said softly, hoping that would be enough for her.

"So you threw a slushy on me? I'm sorry Puck but I'm failing to see the link between these two events".

"They were talking about us, Rach. One of them was saying that it seemed like there was something between us"

"And you decided that the only way to dispel the rumours was to throw lime-green corn syrup over me?" Rachel asked incredulously. "That's how ashamed you were at being romantically linked to me?"

"That's not it at all. The other girl was saying that she was going to have to teach you a lesson – to show you your place in the food chain. I didn't want them to hurt you Rach, you have to believe me. Over these last couple of months, you've become my friend – fuck, you've become my best friend, and I knew that whatever those girls did would be much worse than a slushy"

"You were trying to protect me?"

"If you tell anyone I said this, I won't hesitate to kill you", he threatened.

"You won't kill me. I'm your best friend", she teased.

"Shit. I shouldn't have told you that", he said wearily, running his hand over his face.

"Don't be ashamed Noah. If you want, you can be my best friend", she said sweetly, reminding him of his little sister Abigail. Then she bit her lip nervously, and all thoughts of Abigail went flying out of his head.

"I don't know Rachel..." he said quietly.

"Oh... I understand. I just thought that, based on your admission, you'd be ok with me calling you my best friend. I apologise", she whimpered, as tears started to roll down her cheeks.

"Shit Berry, it's not that. I don't know if I can be just a friend. I've never been just friends with a girl..."

"Well", she said sternly, her tears still rolling freely down her cheeks, "I propose that we enter into a beneficial arrangement that will suit both of our needs"

"English, Berry"

"I suppose you would call it friends with benefits"

That was the third time Noah Puckerman saw Rachel Berry cry. It was also one of the best days of his life.

* * *

IV:

It was a normal Tuesday, about three weeks after Noah and Rachel entered into their "beneficial arrangement". Tuesday meant Glee practice, which excited both Rachel and Puck; Rachel got to sing in front of people, and Puck had a chance to look up her skirt while she danced around.

This Tuesday, however, quickly went downhill.

As soon as Rachel walked into the room, the room went silent. Everyone else was already there: Mike, Matt, Quinn, Finn, Santana, Brittany, Tina, Artie, Kurt and Mercedes, which was rare. Rachel was normally the first one to arrive.

"God Rachel, I thought your fashion sense couldn't get any worse. What the hell are you wearing as a skirt? Is that a picnic blanket?" Kurt's voice was the first to break the silence, and Mercedes was quick to chuckle.

"RuPaul, if we're going to be in the same room, I'd appreciate it if you would at least make an effort to look like a human being", Santana chimed in.

"Yeah Man-Hands", Quinn added. Ever since she had got back on the Cheerio's, she had been particularly horrible in an attempt to regain some of her former glory.

Noah shot a glare at Kurt, Santana and Quinn before pulling Rachel to the front row, just as Mr. Schue walked in.

"Right, I have a new song for us to tackle today. Rachel, here's the sheet music. I thought you could tackle lead", he said, with an indulgent smile. Rachel's bottom lip stopped quivering, and a huge smile lit up her face.

Before Rachel even stood up though, Mercedes and Kurt had their hands in the air.

"This is a club Mr. Schuester, which means we share the leads", Mercedes reminded.

"We could hold auditions Mr. Schue. That way we all get a fair chance at winning the lead", Rachel chimed in, trying her best to be a team player.

"Good idea Rachel. Everyone, grab a copy of the sheet music. We'll hold auditions for it tomorrow", Mr Schue agreed quickly.

"I think it's only fair if Rachel sits out of these auditions. After all, you wanted the lead to go to her, so it's an unfair advantage", Kurt said harshly.

"But it's her favourite song", Noah added loudly. "Give her a fucking chance to perform it"

"Well, personally, I don't think she'd be able to do this song justice. The song calls for an emotional depth that she lacks", Kurt retorted, his eyes shining with excitement at the battle.

At that, Rachel stood up and ran out of the room.

"Oh great, another diva fit. Just what we need", Artie added from the side of the room.

"She'll come back. She always does", Finn reminded the group.

"What is your problem? Berry didn't ask for the solo, Mr. Schue gave it to her. When you guys complained, she said that we should hold try-outs. She bent over backwards to let you get what you want, and all you did was rip her down. Fuck you. Fuck all of you", Puck yelled, before walking out of the door.

It didn't take long to find her. She was sitting in the auditorium, and when he sat down next to her, he could see the tears pouring down her cheeks.

"I don't understand what I did wrong", she sobbed. "I tried to give them what they wanted, but they still hate me"

"It's their loss babe. If it makes you feel any better, I yelled at them", he told her. Rachel chuckled softly, and Noah took the chance to wipe a few of the tears off her cheeks.

"This may not seem like the right time Rach, but back there, I realized that I like standing up for you. I want people to know that if they mess with you, they'll have me to answer to. So, I was wondering..."

"Noah would you like to be my boyfriend?" she interrupted, her eyes still shining and her cheeks still wet, but the flow of tears had stopped.

"Well, I suppose... if it makes you happy... I might be able to tolerate it", he teased, but quickly stopped when he saw Rachel's eyes well up with tears again. "I'm kidding Berry... it sounds like a really good plan"

That was the fourth time Noah Puckerman saw Rachel Berry cry.

* * *

V:

Rachel almost has a heart attack when Santana asks her to try out for the Cheerio's.

"Look Berry, you're the best dancer in Glee, if you don't count me and Brittany. We need another cheerleader, just for a couple of months, and you're the best available option", Santana informs the brunette while examining her nails.

"When are the try-outs?" Rachel asked, her head held high.

"Today after school – meet us in the gym at 4pm", Santana called over her shoulder as she turned and walked away.

The first person Rachel told was Noah, who kissed her forehead and laughed. "This means you get to come to all of my games Rach!" he exclaimed.

"It's just a try-out Noah", she reminded him, breathless from his enthusiasm.

"Babe, there's no one else in this school who can possibly beat you", he said sweetly.

"You know... if I get into the squad, I'm going to need help practicing", she replied softly.

"Is that your way of asking for make-out time, because I'm all over that"

"We'll see Noah", Rachel laughed, before kissing him softly on the lips and then rushing off again.

On his way back from his nap in the nurse's office, Noah overheard Santana and Brittany talking in a corner.

"It was really nice of you to ask Rachel to try out for the squad Santana", the blonde said kindly.

"It's all part of the plan Britt. When she comes to try-outs today, we're going to humiliate her so bad she'll never want to show her face at McKinley High again", Santana explained harshly.

"But... that's mean..."

"Man-hands deserves it. She was stupid enough to believe that I actually wanted her on the squad, so she's going to get what's coming to her", the Latina retorted.

"Rachel never did anything to you Santana", Brittany reminded her friend, but Noah didn't hear anything else as he was too busy looking for Rachel.

"Rach, you can't try out for cheerleading. I heard Santana and Brittany talking, and Santana is just planning on humiliating you. I don't want you to get hurt Rach", Noah explained as soon as he found Rachel.

"Let me get this straight. You believe that the only reason Santana wants me to try out for the squad is so that she can embarrass me, not because I possess an above average dancing ability?" Rachel questioned

"Yes", Noah said straight away, before realizing that he had completely put his foot in his mouth. "No Rach, that's not what I meant..."

"Look Puck, I can take care of myself. Thank you for the warning, but I'm going to be late for the try-outs, so I will see you later this evening"

"Rach, please don't go", he called after her retreating figure, desperately trying to ignore the sickening feeling in his gut. He hated it when Rachel called him Puck; it meant she was particularly mad.

Rachel did see Noah later that evening. She showed up at his house, tears streaming down her face, muttering about showing up for the try-outs and being mercilessly teased, and then slushied.

"I'm so sorry Noah, I should have believed you", she sobbed into his chest.

"It's ok babe, you just wanted to be recognized. I get it", he whispered into his ear. "But look on the bright side"

"And what would the bright side be?"

"You only have to put up with three more months at McKinley and then you're done. We'll be finished school Rach, and off to New York", he told her.

"You're coming to New York with me?"

"Well, I like being around you babe, and you've always wanted to go to New York, so I kind of figured that I'd be heading there too..." he trailed off nervously, anxiously rubbing the back of his neck.

Rachel stretched up and lightly pressed her lips against his. "I love you Noah Puckerman", she whispered softly.

If it was any other girl, he would have told them to get off; after all, the Puck-ster doesn't do declarations of love. The Puck-ster doesn't love.

But it's Rachel.

And she's the exception to every one of his rules.

"I love you too babe"

The tears of sadness turned into tears of joy, as Rachel Berry and Noah Puckerman declared their love for each other on the floor of his bedroom (and he got to second base).

That was the fifth time Noah Puckerman saw Rachel Berry cry.

* * *

VI:

They graduated high school. They went to New York – Rachel to Julliard, Noah to NYU. They moved in together. High school was forgotten: the people left behind, the memories that used to haunt them discarded.

New York was a fresh start.

Around three months after Rachel finished at Julliard, she walked into their apartment, tears streaming down her face.

"Rach, baby, what's wrong?" Noah asked, immediately discarding the magazine he had been reading.

"I don't know if I can do this anymore Noah", she whispered.

"But I love you Rach. You can't leave me. I moved to New York with you, _for you. _I can change; I will change. Just give me another chance Rach, please", he begged.

"Noah, I'm not ending us. You're the best part of my life", she reassured him.

"Why are you crying then?"

"Because I got another rejection phone call today – that's the third one since I started auditioning Noah... the third one", she sobbed.

And that's where things went downhill: he laughed.

"Why. Are. You. Laughing. At. Me?" she hissed, the tears still streaming down her cheeks, but her eyes darkening with anger. Scary Rachel was making an appearance.

"Rach, you've only been out of Julliard for three months and you've only just started auditioning. You are Rachel Berry and you will get on Broadway, but it isn't going to happen overnight baby. You have to work for it"

"You are completely and utterly right. Of course it isn't going to happen overnight. It was stupid for me to assume that I'd be an instant success. Thank you for reminding me Noah; you've been very sweet"

"Yeah, well, I **am **fucking awesome", he laughed as he pulled her into a hug.

"And you just completely ruined the moment. Noah, how many times do I have to tell you that cursing is a dirty habit, and that people will get the wrong opinion if you use language like that? Sometimes I hate what comes out of your mouth", Rachel repeated the same lecture Noah had heard a million times.

"But you** love **my mouth right baby?"

"Noah, must you be so crass?" she hissed, her tears completely dried up and her tantrum forgotten.

That was the sixth time Noah Puckerman ever saw Rachel Berry cry.

* * *

VII:

It was only a couple of years later when Rachel was nominated for a Tony award for her performance in West Side Story. Noah, of course, was her date for the award ceremony.

Their phones were buzzing with former Glee club members sending messages of love. Rachel was shocked that they had managed to track down her number, and Noah was sitting quietly next to her, pretending that he was just as surprised. He was just hoping that none of the former Glee clubbers who tell Rachel that Noah had given them her number.

He wasn't trying to hurt her; he just knew that even after all these years, she wanted their approval. He also knew that most of the Glee clubbers regretted the way they had treated her all that time ago.

_Congratulations my fellow Diva – I never doubted that you would make it big! Blow me a kiss when you collect the award – Kurt_

_We're rooting for you Berry. It's about time you reached your potential as the brightest gold star the world has ever seen. Oh, and Finn wants you to give a thumbs up to the camera before giving your acceptance speech – Love Finn and Quinn_

_I'm so proud of you Rachel. I always knew you would make it; your voice is a gift that deserves to be shared with the world. Smile for the cameras on your way to the stage – Will_

_Girl, you better mention us in your acceptance speech – Mercedes_

_We're sitting at home watching the awards live. Make sure you wave at the screen when the camera hits you, and tell Puck to smile – Artie and Tina_

_Good luck Rachel! I know Tony will be proud to share his award with you. Santana got your number off Puck; I really wanted to let you know that I'm thinking of you – Brittany (and Santana) xoxo. _

"You gave them my number?" Rachel asked, disbelief colouring her tone.

"Rach, even though you won't admit it, I know that you want the Glee club to be proud of you. I wanted you to know just how special you were to everyone of them, even if they never showed it', he said softly, his hand lightly squeezing hers.

"Thank you", she whispered breathlessly. "That's the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me"

"Nicer than last night?" he asked lecherously.

Right on cue, her face flushed, and Noah smirked. It was just too easy to get under her skin.

And when they announced the winner of the best actress award, no one was surprised. After all, it was the best performance of Maria anyone had seen in a very long time.

As Rachel stood to collect her award, she remembered to wave for Tina and Artie.

As she made her way up the stairs, she smiled for Will.

As she collected her award, she blew a kiss for Kurt.

As she walked to the podium, she curled her fist and raised her thumb for Finn.

When she made her acceptance speech, she mentioned the Glee club that had started it all.

The last thing she said became the most watched clip from a Tony Awards ceremony.

"I'd like to thank the most important person in my life, Noah Puckerman. While most people don't believe that you can meet your soul mate in high school, I do. I met Noah in my first year at McKinley High, when he quickly threw a slushy in my face. However, I saw past the facade and fell in love with the real Noah. Without him, I doubt I'd be here today, collecting this award, because the thing that inspired me to give those performances was Noah sitting in the front row every night. I love you baby, and I want to know if you will do me the honour of becoming my husband?" she finished her speech, tears rolling down her cheeks.

That was the seventh time Noah Puckerman saw Rachel Berry cry.

* * *

I:

The first time Rachel Berry ever saw Noah Puckerman cry was on the 7th of August.

He stood next to Finn Hudson and Mike Chang at the top of an aisle, looking dashing in a brand new suit and tie, his head shaved of his Mohawk.

When Rachel walked towards him, her dress the perfect white, her hair in perfect curls, he didn't pretend that he had something in his eye. He didn't pretend that he had allergies.

A single tear rolled down his cheek, and he didn't deny the fact that it was because he was marrying the most amazing woman in the world.


End file.
